When Israel Says It Doesn't Target Journalists, It Is Lying

Last Sunday, the Israeli army attacked a building in Gaza City where local and international radio and television outlets are housed. As The Electronic Intifada’s Charlotte Silver commented yesterday, the Israeli army spokesperson admitted clearly and candidly that the army “obviously know there are journalists in the building.”

The death toll since last Wednesday has reached at least 100 across Gaza.

Also today, Al Jazeera English had Mark Regev, the spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, on to explain Israel’s admitted targeting of the media building.

Regev repeated the lies that Israel doesn’t target journalists, and that the army “surgically hit” the building — claiming that Hamas’ communication facilities are on the roof of the media center.

“As far as I know, no foreign journalists were hurt whatsoever,” Regev states. Al Jazeera’s anchor then challenges Regev, asking him, “so what are you saying? Are you saying that a local Arab journalist’s life is [worth] any less than an international journalist’s?”

The exchange is worth viewing.

War crimes

Israel’s attacks on journalists is a war crime. And this is a continuation of a tactic that Israel has used against journalists, with impunity, to slam the lid on exposing the truth about its crimes in Gaza and elsewhere in Palestine. Today, the National Union of Journalists in the UK issued a condemnation of Israel’s attacks on reporters in Gaza and called for a full investigation into the Israeli army’s “deliberate attacks on media buildings.”

After the first missile that killed Fadel, a second tank missile directly hit the Reuters vehicle in which Fadel had been traveling, killing two children and another civilian close by, and injuring 12 others, including five children. Wafa Abu Mezyed, 25, a Reuters sound man, was injured.

As Rami Almeghari reported shortly after Shana’a’s killing, “The Israeli military advocate-general stated in a 12 August letter to the Reuters news agency that it had found Israeli soldiers had acted properly in the April killing Fadel Shana’a.”

Nora Barrows-Friedman is a journalist and staff editor with The Electronic Intifada. Her book, In Our Power: US Students Organize for Justice in Palestine, will be out in November 2014 from Just World Books. Follow her on Twitter @norabf.

When Israel Says It Doesn't Target Journalists, It Is Lying

Last Sunday, the Israeli army attacked a building in Gaza City where local and international radio and television outlets are housed. As The Electronic Intifada’s Charlotte Silver commented yesterday, the Israeli army spokesperson admitted clearly and candidly that the army “obviously know there are journalists in the building.”

The death toll since last Wednesday has reached at least 100 across Gaza.

Also today, Al Jazeera English had Mark Regev, the spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, on to explain Israel’s admitted targeting of the media building.

Regev repeated the lies that Israel doesn’t target journalists, and that the army “surgically hit” the building — claiming that Hamas’ communication facilities are on the roof of the media center.

“As far as I know, no foreign journalists were hurt whatsoever,” Regev states. Al Jazeera’s anchor then challenges Regev, asking him, “so what are you saying? Are you saying that a local Arab journalist’s life is [worth] any less than an international journalist’s?”

The exchange is worth viewing.

War crimes

Israel’s attacks on journalists is a war crime. And this is a continuation of a tactic that Israel has used against journalists, with impunity, to slam the lid on exposing the truth about its crimes in Gaza and elsewhere in Palestine. Today, the National Union of Journalists in the UK issued a condemnation of Israel’s attacks on reporters in Gaza and called for a full investigation into the Israeli army’s “deliberate attacks on media buildings.”

After the first missile that killed Fadel, a second tank missile directly hit the Reuters vehicle in which Fadel had been traveling, killing two children and another civilian close by, and injuring 12 others, including five children. Wafa Abu Mezyed, 25, a Reuters sound man, was injured.

As Rami Almeghari reported shortly after Shana’a’s killing, “The Israeli military advocate-general stated in a 12 August letter to the Reuters news agency that it had found Israeli soldiers had acted properly in the April killing Fadel Shana’a.”

Nora Barrows-Friedman is a journalist and staff editor with The Electronic Intifada. Her book, In Our Power: US Students Organize for Justice in Palestine, will be out in November 2014 from Just World Books. Follow her on Twitter @norabf.